Go-ahead Derbyshire County Cricket Club have completed the purchase of the freehold of the former Gateway Centre building at their Derby headquarters and the adjacent land to the south.

The move is seen as the latest step in the development of both the club and the ground, which should help to raise the profile of cricket in the county.

The deal has been financed by a long-term loan to the club from Derby City Council and will result in the facility becoming a dedicated centre of cricket, from grassroots to the professional game.

It will provide opportunities for young cricketers from across the county to develop their game and participate in community cricket.

The deal builds on the club’s existing links with local communities within the city, with a decade-long package of street cricket and community cricket coaching pledged to provide participation opportunities for local people in the Derwent ward.

It will also create new commercial opportunities for the club, while the creation of a dedicated centre for cricket in Derwent has the potential to bring obs, visitors and investment to the ward.

The club’s chief executive Simon Storey said: “We have been working for a long time now to develop a solution for the Gateway Centre building that would be good for the long-term futures of both the cricket club, the Revive charity and the wider community.

“As well as being able to offer more opportunities for coaching and training, we will be able to support our education, training and skills development programmes which use the power of cricket to inspire learning. We will also have more opportunities to develop new cricket-based revenue streams.

“As an ambitious business that is focused on delivering success on the cricket field, providing opportunities for more people to follow, watch and play the game helps us for the long term.

“With this purchase, the club are now in a position to create a cricketing centre of excellence which will serve the community here in Derby and the broader county.”

Derbyshire’s 2016 league season at The 3aaa County Ground begins on Sunday, April 24 against Glamorgan.